System and Method for Determining a Quality of Driving of a Vehicle

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method for determining a quality of driving of a vehicle is presented. Information indicating at least one driving condition may be received from at least one driving condition information indicating device. The at least one driving condition may be different from each of a plurality of driving metrics, and may affect a relationship between the quality of driving and at least one of the plurality of driving metrics. Information indicating the at least one driving metric may be received. At least one indication of the quality of driving of the vehicle may be determined based on the information indicating the at least one driving metric and the received information from the at least one driving condition information indicating device. The at least one indication of the quality of driving may be provided to at least one of the driver, a driving instructor, or an insurance provider.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/897,041, entitled “System and Method for Determining a Quality ofDriving of a Vehicle,” filed on Jun. 9, 2020, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/218,965, entitled “System and Methodfor Determining a Quality of Driving of a Vehicle,” filed on Jul. 25,2016, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/256,799, entitled “System and Method for Determining a Quality ofDriving of a Vehicle,” filed on Nov. 18, 2015, the disclosure of each ofwhich is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to information associated withvehicle driving and, more particularly, to a system and method fordetermining a quality of driving of a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

A driver and/or a driving instructor may assess driving of a vehicleduring a driving trip by visually checking the speedometer reading ofthe vehicle. However, this type of check may be difficult for thedriving instructor to perform from a passenger seat. Additionally, thistype of check and other conventional techniques for assessing driving ofa vehicle provide a limited amount of information regarding the drivingof the vehicle.

Furthermore, checking the speedometer of the vehicle during driving onlyprovides information regarding a particular speed at a particular time.Other conventional techniques for assessing driving of a vehicle alsoprovide minimal flexibility in the ways in which information regardingthe driving of the vehicle may be provided.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method for determining aquality of driving of a vehicle may be provided. The method may includereceiving, using one or more processors via a computer network, from atleast one driving condition information indicating device, informationindicating at least one driving condition. The at least one drivingcondition may be different from each of a plurality of driving metricsassociated with the driving of the vehicle, and may affect arelationship between the quality of the driving of the vehicle and atleast one driving metric of the plurality of driving metrics associatedwith the driving of the vehicle. The method may also include receiving,using the one or more processors, information indicating the at leastone driving metric associated with the driving of the vehicle. Themethod may additionally include determining, using the one or moreprocessors, at least one indication of the quality of the driving of thevehicle based on the information indicating the at least one drivingmetric and based on the received information from the at least onedriving condition information indicating device. The method may furtherinclude providing, using the one or more processors, the at least oneindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle to at least oneof the driver, a driving instructor present in the vehicle during thedriving of the vehicle by the driver, or an insurance provider providinginsurance coverage with respect to at least one of the vehicle or thedriver.

In another embodiment, a computer device for determining a quality ofdriving of a vehicle may be provided. The computer device may includeone or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one ormore processors. The one or more memories may include non-transitorycomputer executable instructions stored therein that, when executed bythe one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive,from at least one driving condition information indicating device,information indicating at least one driving condition. The at least onedriving condition may be different from each of a plurality of drivingmetrics associated with the driving of the vehicle, and may affect arelationship between the quality of the driving of the vehicle and atleast one driving metric of the plurality of driving metrics associatedwith the driving of the vehicle. The non-transitory computer executableinstructions, when executed by the one or more processors, may alsocause the one or more processors to receive information indicating theat least one driving metric associated with the driving of the vehicle.The non-transitory computer executable instructions, when executed bythe one or more processors, may additionally cause the one or moreprocessors to determine at least one indication of the quality of thedriving of the vehicle based on the information indicating the at leastone driving metric and based on the received information from the atleast one driving condition information indicating device. Thenon-transitory computer executable instructions, when executed by theone or more processors, may further cause the one or more processors toprovide the at least one indication of the quality of the driving of thevehicle to at least one of the driver, a driving instructor present inthe vehicle during the driving of the vehicle by the driver, or aninsurance provider providing insurance coverage with respect to at leastone of the vehicle or the driver.

In yet another embodiment, a computer readable storage medium may beprovided that includes non-transitory computer readable instructionsstored thereon for determining a quality of driving of a vehicle. Theinstructions, when executed on one or more processors, may cause the oneor more processors to receive, from at least one driving conditioninformation indicating device, information indicating at least onedriving condition. The at least one driving condition may be differentfrom each of a plurality of driving metrics associated with the drivingof the vehicle, and may affect a relationship between the quality of thedriving of the vehicle and at least one driving metric of the pluralityof driving metrics associated with the driving of the vehicle. Theinstructions, when executed on the one or more processors, may alsocause the one or more processors to receive information indicating theat least one driving metric associated with the driving of the vehicle.The instructions, when executed on the one or more processors, mayadditionally cause the one or more processors to determine at least oneindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle based on theinformation indicating the at least one driving metric and based on thereceived information from the at least one driving condition informationindicating device. The instructions, when executed on the one or moreprocessors, may further cause the one or more processors to provide theat least one indication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle toat least one of the driver, a driving instructor present in the vehicleduring the driving of the vehicle by the driver, or an insuranceprovider providing insurance coverage with respect to at least one ofthe vehicle or the driver.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures described below depict various aspects of the system andmethods disclosed herein. It should be understood that each figuredepicts an embodiment of a particular aspect of the disclosed system andmethods, and that each of the figures is intended to accord with apossible embodiment thereof. Further, wherever possible, the followingdescription refers to the reference numerals included in the followingfigures, in which features depicted in multiple figures are designatedwith consistent reference numerals.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system for determining a quality ofdriving of a vehicle;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example computing device and components thereofthat may be used in implementing, for example, various devices of theexample system of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an example method, routine, or process fordetermining a quality of driving of a vehicle;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of another example method, routine, or processfor determining a quality of driving of a vehicle;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of yet another example method, routine, orprocess for determining a quality of driving of a vehicle;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of still another example method, routine, orprocess for determining a quality of driving of a vehicle;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example map that may be used to present featuressuch as at least one determined indication of a quality of driving of avehicle; and

FIG. 8 illustrates an example user interface corresponding to driving ofa vehicle.

The figures depict various aspects of the present invention for purposesof illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize fromthe following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structuresand methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing fromthe principles of the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the following text sets forth a detailed description ofnumerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legalscope of the description is defined by the words of the claims set forthat the end of this patent and equivalents. The detailed description isto be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possibleembodiment since describing every possible embodiment would beimpractical. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented,using either current technology or technology developed after the filingdate of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of theclaims.

It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined inthis patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘______’ ishereby defined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, there is no intentto limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication,beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not beinterpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in anysection of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To theextent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent isreferred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning,that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader,and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, by implicationor otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, unless a claim element isdefined by reciting the word “means” and a function without the recitalof any structure, it is not intended that the scope of any claim elementbe interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f).

I. Example Determining of a Quality of Driving of a Vehicle

The present embodiments relate to, inter alia, a system and method fordetermining a quality of driving of a vehicle. More particularly,information indicating at least one driving condition may be receivedfrom at least one driving condition information indicating device. Theat least one driving condition information indicating device may be ormay include, for example, a traffic information server; an other vehiclespeed information server; a road type information server; a speed limitinformation server; a speed limit restriction information server; aweather condition information server; a visibility information server; atraffic prompt information server; and/or a driver capabilityinformation server. The at least one driving condition informationindicating device may also or alternatively include other suitabledevice(s) such as one or more databases, and one or more serversdescribed above as being different types of servers may be implementedin the same server or other suitable device.

The at least one driving condition may be different from each of aplurality of driving metrics associated with the driving of the vehicle,and more particularly may be a condition associated with one of theexample server types noted above (e.g., traffic, speed of othervehicles, road type, etc.). The at least one driving condition mayaffect a relationship between the quality of the driving of the vehicleand at least one driving metric of the plurality of driving metrics. Theplurality of driving metrics may include, for example, one or more of aspeed of the vehicle, a distance between the vehicle and another vehiclein front of the vehicle, or a degree of braking applied by the driver,as more fully described below.

Information may be received indicating the at least one driving metric,and at least one indication of the quality of the driving of the vehiclemay be determined based on the information indicating the at least onedriving metric and based on the received information from the at leastone driving condition information indicating device. The at least oneindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle may include, forexample, one or more of whether a speed of the driving of the vehicleexceeds a speed limit, an amount by which the speed limit is exceeded,how long the speed limit is exceeded, or a variation in a speed of thedriving of the vehicle, as more fully described below.

The at least one indication of the quality of the driving of the vehiclemay be provided to at least one of the driver, a driving instructorpresent in the vehicle during the driving of the vehicle, or aninsurance provider providing insurance coverage with respect to at leastone of the vehicle or the driver. For example, the at least oneindication of the quality of the driving may be provided via a userinterface of a mobile phone executing an application that allows thefeatures described above to be implemented. For ease of viewing orotherwise noting the at least one indication of the quality of thedriving, the at least one indication of the quality of the driving mayalso or alternatively be provided to the driving instructor via a userinterface of another mobile device in the vehicle, such as a tablet or asmartwatch in the possession of (e.g., worn by, in the case of asmartwatch) the driving instructor. The driving instructor may thusreceive information regarding the quality of the driving that isviewable or otherwise accessible to the driving instructor only, and thedriving instructor may instruct the driver (e.g., student driver) of thevehicle accordingly.

The at least one indication of the quality of the driving of the vehiclemay be determined by determining at least one gradation of the qualityof the driving, where each one of the at least one gradation mayindicate the quality of the driving of the vehicle relative to thequality of the driving of the vehicle as indicated by a differentgradation.

The at least one indication of the quality of the driving of the vehiclemay be provided to the at least one of the driver, the drivinginstructor, or if desired, the insurance provider, on a map and/or byway of other suitable output indicating parameters such as actual speed,speed limit, quality metric(s) such as a determined score reflecting theat least one indication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle,etc. The at least one indication of the quality of the driving of thevehicle may be provided by, among other possible actions, providing acoded map that indicates different gradations of the quality of thedriving at different points during an overall trip. For example, a redsegment of the trip may indicate a poorest quality of driving, and agreen segment of the trip may indicate a highest quality of driving. Theat least one of the driver, the driving instructor, or the insuranceprovider may review the at least one indication of the quality of thedriving for the entire trip or for one or more selected segments of thetrip as described in further detail below.

When the at least one indication of the quality of the driving of thevehicle is provided to the insurance provider, the insurance providermay determine an adjustment to at least one of a rating and/or a premiumto apply to the insurance coverage provided by the insurance provider.Such an adjustment may be determined, for example, when the at least oneindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle is provided tothe insurance provider outside of a student driving situation (e.g.,when only the driver and no driving instructor is present in thevehicle).

By providing a system and method that allow determining a quality ofdriving of a vehicle as described above and further detailed below,various advantages are achieved. For example, in view of the receipt ofinformation indicating the at least one driving condition from the atleast one driving condition information indicating device, the systemand method provide and/or are implemented through the use of a device(s)that provide information particularly suited for use in concert/inconjunction with other features of the system and method to determine atleast one indication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle. Moreparticularly, for example, the information provided using the at leastone driving condition information indicating device may affect arelationship between the quality of the driving of the vehicle and atleast one driving metric associated with the driving of the vehicle.Thus, for at least this reason, such information provided using the atleast one driving condition information indicating device may beparticularly suited for use in determining the at least one indicationof the quality of the driving of the vehicle. The at least oneindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle may then beadvantageously provided in any of a number of suitable ways in greaterdetail and/or in a more usable form as compared to conventional methods,as further described below. As such, the inclusion of at least thereceipt of information indicating the at least one driving conditionfrom the at least one driving condition information indicating deviceimproves upon the nature of determining a quality of driving of avehicle. Other advantages will be recognized by one of ordinary skill inthe art in light of the teaching and disclosure herein.

II. Example System and Related Functionality

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system 100 for determining a quality ofdriving of a vehicle. The example system 100 may include a vehicle 102,a computer network 104, and at least one driving condition informationindicating device. As shown in the example of FIG. 1 , the at least onedriving condition information indicating device may be implemented as anumber of servers, although other devices (such as, but not limited to,databases) may be used, a single device may implement all of thefunctionality of multiple driving condition information indicatingdevices, etc. More particularly, in the example of FIG. 1 , the at leastone driving condition information indicating device may include atraffic information server 106, an other vehicle speed informationserver 108, a road type information server 110, a speed limitinformation server 112, a speed limit restriction information server114, a weather condition information server 116, a visibilityinformation server 118, a traffic prompt information server 120, and/ora driver capability information server 122. Each of the servers 106-122may be communicatively coupled to the computer network 104.

The example system 100 may also include one or more driving qualityinformation databases, driving condition information databases, and/ordriving metric information databases, and/or other data storagemechanisms (e.g., one or more hard disk drives, optical storage drives,solid state storage devices, etc.), shown collectively in the example ofFIG. 1 as a single database 124 communicatively coupled to the computernetwork 104. The database(s) 124 may store data related to drivingconditions, driving metrics, and/or quality of driving, where quality ofdriving may be determined as described herein.

The computer network 104 may be a computer network of an insuranceprovider (e.g., provided or used by the insurance provider orcommunications over which the insurance provider otherwise controls orfacilitates). The computer network 104 may also be communicativelycoupled to the vehicle 102. The vehicle 102 may include a driver 126seated in a driver seat 128, and a mobile phone or other mobile device(e.g., a smart phone, a tablet, a phablet, or any suitable mobiledevice) 130 which may be located in a cup holder of the vehicle 102 asshown in FIG. 1 . The mobile device 130 may execute computer-executableinstructions, such as a mobile application, that allow the actionsdescribed herein to be implemented.

The example of FIG. 1 also shows a dashboard mount 132, which may servein some embodiments as an alternative location for the mobile device 130during a particular driving trip of the vehicle 102. As shown in theillustration of the mobile device 130 being secured in the dashboardmount 132, the mobile device 130 may include a camera 134, which may beused to obtain information as described below. The vehicle 102 may alsoinclude a driving instructor 136 or other passenger seated in apassenger seat 138. In some embodiments, the driving instructor 136 mayhold a computing device 140, such as a computing device with a userinterface, which may be communicatively coupled to the mobile device 130so that the driving instructor 136 may receive information regarding,for example, the quality of the driving as further discussed below. Thecomputing device 140, and each of the computing devices referred toherein, may be any suitable computing device such as, but not limitedto, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a mobile phone such as asmart phone, a tablet, a phablet, smart glasses, other wearablecomputing device(s), etc.

Additionally or alternatively, the driving instructor may wear awearable computing device (or devices) 142, such as a smartwatch asshown in the example of FIG. 1 , which wearable computing device 142 mayalso have a suitable user interface and be communicatively coupled tothe mobile device 130 to allow the driving instructor 136 to receiveinformation regarding, for example, the quality of the driving asfurther discussed below.

In embodiments where, as noted above and as further discussed below, theat least one indication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle isprovided to the insurance provider, the insurance provider may receivethis indication at an insurance provider server 144. Thus, the insuranceprovider server 144 may also be communicatively coupled to the computernetwork 104. The insurance provider server 144, in some embodiments, mayalso make available for download (e.g., via the computer network 104)the application executed by the mobile device 130 to implementfunctionality described herein. It will be appreciated that one or moreof the servers 106-122 and/or 144 may be a server provided by or used bythe insurance provider, or use of which the insurance provider otherwisecontrols or facilitates.

In various embodiments, processors of the mobile device 130 and otherdevices, such as the servers 106-122 and 144, may execute instructionsto transmit data to, receive data from, or otherwise communicate withdevices of the example system 100 via the computer network 104 asfurther described below. The computer network 104 may be or may includea network such as the Internet and/or any other type of suitable network(e.g., a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), awide area network (WAN), a mobile network, a wired or wireless network,a private network, a virtual private network, etc.). The computernetwork 104 may also or alternatively be or include one or more cellularnetworks such as code division multiple access (CDMA) network, GSM(Global System for Mobile Communications) network, WiMAX (WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access) network, Long Term Evolution(LTE) network, etc.

As further described below, the example system 100 allows determining aquality of driving of the vehicle 102 (e.g., whether the vehicle 102 isdriven by the driver 126 or is an autonomous vehicle), and allows, amongother advantages, determination of at least one indication of thequality of the driving of the vehicle 102 based on particularinformation provided from at least one driving condition informationindicating device and information indicating at least one drivingmetric.

III. Example Operation of Computing Devices

FIG. 2 illustrates an example computing device 200 and componentsthereof that may be used in implementing, for example, the mobile device130 and/or other devices of the example system 100, such as one or moreof the servers 106-122 and/or 144. The example computing device 200 mayinclude a controller 202. The controller 202 may include a programmemory 204, a microcontroller or a microprocessor 206, a random-accessmemory (RAM) 208, and an input/output (I/O) circuit 210, all of whichmay be interconnected via an address/data bus 212. The program memory204 may store computer-executable instructions, which may be executed bythe microprocessor 206.

It should be appreciated that although FIG. 2 depicts only onemicroprocessor 206, the controller 202 may include multiplemicroprocessors 206. Similarly, the program memory 204 of the controller202 may include additional RAM(s) 214 and multiple program memories216A, 216B and 216C (or any suitable number of multiple programmemories) storing one or more corresponding modules, routines, and/orinstructions, etc. according to the particular configuration of thecontroller 202 and the computing device 200. Such modules, routines,and/or instructions, etc. may be used in performing various operationsfor determining a quality of driving of a vehicle, such as exampleoperations as described herein, including transmitting data to,receiving data from, or otherwise communicating with devices of theexample system 100 via the computer network 104 by way of the I/Ocircuit 210. Additionally, although FIG. 2 depicts the I/O circuit 210as a single block, the I/O circuit 210 may include a number of differenttypes of I/O circuits (not depicted). The RAM(s) 208, 214 and theprogram memory/memories 216A, 216B and 216C may be implemented in anyknown form of non-transitory computer readable storage media, includingbut not limited to semiconductor memories, magnetically readablememories, and/or optically readable memories. It should also beappreciated that the example computing device 200, and thus, forexample, the mobile device 130 and/or the one or more of the servers106-122 and/or 144, for example, may include additional, fewer, oralternate components.

IV. Example Method for Determining a Quality of Driving of a Vehicle

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an example method, routine, or process 300 fordetermining a quality of driving of a vehicle, such as the vehicle 102,where the driving of the vehicle may be by the driver 126, for example.One or more processors, which may be one or more processors of themobile device 130 that execute an application on the mobile device 130as described above, for example, may (e.g., as part of executing theapplication on the mobile device 130) determine whether informationindicating at least one driving condition is available from at least onedriving condition information indicating device (e.g., one or more ofthe servers 106-122) (block 302). Such information indicating at leastone driving condition may be available, for example, when an insuranceprovider and/or at least one vendor have obtained such information sothat such information is available to be provided, and when a locationof the vehicle 102 is known so that the information corresponds to thelocation.

If it is determined that the information indicating at least one drivingcondition is not available from the at least one driving conditioninformation indicating device, the actions described with respect toblock 302 may be repeated. That is, for example, the determination as towhether such information is available may be repeated until it isdetermined that such information is available.

If, on the other hand, it is determined that the information indicatingthe at least one driving condition is available from the at least onedriving condition information indicating device, the one or moreprocessors may receive, from the at least one driving conditioninformation indicating device (e.g., one or more of the servers106-122), the information indicating the at least one driving condition(block 304). The at least one driving condition may be different fromeach of a plurality of driving metrics associated with the driving ofthe vehicle 102. The at least one driving condition may be, for example,a speed limit corresponding to a particular location (e.g., a particularsection of a road). Additional examples of the at least one drivingcondition and examples of the plurality of driving metrics are furtherdiscussed below with respect to, for example, FIG. 5 . As also furtherdiscussed below, the at least one driving condition may affect arelationship between the quality of the driving of the vehicle 102 andat least one driving metric of the plurality of driving metricsassociated with the driving of the vehicle 102. For example, where theat least one driving condition is a speed limit, and the at least onedriving metric is, for example, an actual speed of the vehicle 102, thespeed limit may affect a relationship between the actual speed and thequality of the driving of the vehicle 102. More particularly, thequality of the driving of the vehicle 102 may be high when the speedlimit is close to the actual speed of the vehicle 102, and the qualityof the driving of the vehicle 102 may be low when the speed limit issignificantly below the actual speed of the vehicle 102 (indicating thatthe vehicle 102 is driving too fast).

With continued reference to the actions described with respect to block304, the information indicating the at least one driving condition maybe received based on any suitable factor or factors, such as, forexample, a location of the vehicle 102 as determined by, for example, aGlobal Positioning System (GPS) receiver located in the vehicle 102,such as a GPS receiver of the mobile device 130. For example, theinformation indicating the at least one driving condition may beinformation indicating a speed limit that corresponds to the location ofthe vehicle 102.

The one or more processors may receive information indicating the atleast one driving metric associated with the driving of the vehicle 102(block 306). Examples of the at least one driving metric are furtherdiscussed below with respect to, for example, FIG. 5 . As discussedabove, however, one example of a driving metric may be an actual speedof the vehicle 102. The information indicating the at least one drivingmetric may, in some embodiments, be determined by an application (e.g.,the aforementioned application) executing on the mobile device 130. Forexample, in some embodiments, an accelerometer of the mobile device 130and/or any other suitable components and/or functionality of the mobiledevice 130 (e.g., magnetometer, etc.) may be used in determining theinformation indicating the at least one driving metric. In order for theaccelerometer and/or other component(s) and/or other functionality ofthe mobile device 130 to accurately determine the information indicatingthe at least one driving metric, the mobile device 130 may be placed ina cup holder of the vehicle 102 between the driver seat 128 and thepassenger seat 138, as shown in the example of FIG. 1 . In anotherembodiment, the mobile device 130 may be secured in the dashboard mount132, as also shown in the example of FIG. 1 for completeness ofexplanation.

The one or more processors may determine at least one indication of thequality of the driving of the vehicle 102 (e.g., by the driver 126 or,in some embodiments, the quality of the driving of the vehicle 102 whenthe vehicle 102 is an autonomous vehicle) (block 308). The determinationof the at least one indication of the quality of the driving of thevehicle 102 may be based on the information indicating the at least onedriving metric and based on the received information from the at leastone driving condition information indicating device (e.g., one of theservers 106-122). The at least one indication of the quality of thedriving of the vehicle 102 may be, for example, an indication of avariation in a speed of the driving of the vehicle 102 within aparticular amount of time. Additional examples of the at least oneindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle 102 arediscussed in greater detail below with respect to, for example, FIG. 5 .

The one or more processors may provide the at least one indication ofthe quality of the driving of the vehicle 102 to at least one of thedriver 126, a driving instructor (e.g., the driving instructor 136)present in the vehicle 102 during the driving of the vehicle 102 by thedriver 126, or an insurance provider providing insurance coverage withrespect to at least one of the vehicle 102 or the driver 126 (block310). For example, the at least one indication of the quality of thedriving of the vehicle 102 may be provided to the insurance provider byproviding the at least one indication via the computer network 104 tothe insurance provider server 144.

In embodiments where the at least one indication of the quality of thedriving of the vehicle 102 is provided to the driver 126, the at leastone indication of the quality of the driving may be provided via, forexample, a user interface of the mobile device 130 to, for example,allow the driver 126 to self-assess driving behaviors and attempt toimprove his or her driving behaviors in the interest of increasedsafety, decreased insurance premiums or insurance discounts (e.g., wherethe at least one indication is also provided to the insurance provider),etc. It will be appreciated in light of the teaching and disclosureherein that while an insurance provider is discussed and may provideinsurance coverage with respect to at least one of the vehicle 102 orthe driver 126, neither the vehicle 102 nor the driver 126 need be acustomer of (e.g., have insurance coverage issued by) the insuranceprovider. Thus, the driver 126 may, for example, download theapplication to be executed on the mobile device 130 even though thedriver 126 may not be a customer of the insurance provider. In such acircumstance, the application may be downloaded to the mobile device 130from the insurance provider server 144 (even though the driver 126 isnot a customer of the insurance provider) or from any other suitabledevice, including any suitable device (e.g., server) not shown in theexample system 100.

Moreover, with continued reference to the actions described with respectto block 310, in embodiments where the at least one indication of thequality of the driving of the vehicle 102 is provided to the driver 126and/or to the driving instructor 136, the driver 126 and/or the drivinginstructor 136 may be provided with the ability to review all of thedriving of the vehicle 102 during a particular trip and/or the abilityto select one or more segments of the particular trip with respect towhich to review the driving. By providing the driving instructor 136with the ability to review the driving in this manner, and by providingthe driving instructor 136 with the ability to review the driving inreal time as further described below, the driving instructor 136 may beable to provide more timely and useful feedback to the driver 126 (e.g.,student driver). Moreover, as discussed below, the increased amount ofinformation made available by way of the various embodiments describedherein may advantageously allow the driver 126, the driving instructor136, and/or the insurance provider to more accurately assess theperformance of the driver 126.

With still further reference to the actions described with respect toblock 310, the ability to review all of the driving and/or one or moresegments may be provided as an ability to review, for example, speed andspeed limit of the vehicle 102 along particular points of the trip byselecting an option to play back the speed and speed limit in a mannerthat shows how each of the speed and speed limit changes during thetrip, as further described below. Additionally, the ability to reviewone or more segments may be provided by way of the ability to select oneor more segments on a map displayed via a user interface of, forexample, the mobile device 130, as also further described below.

With yet further reference to the actions described with respect toblock 310, in embodiments where the at least one indication of thequality of the driving of the vehicle 102 is provided to the insuranceprovider, the insurance provider may use the at least one indication ofthe quality of the driving of the vehicle 102 to determine an insurancerating and/or premium adjustment, e.g., for insurance coverage providedwith respect to the driver 126, the vehicle 102, or both. The insurancerating and/or premium adjustment may be determined based on a score orother metric where the at least one indication of the quality of thedriving of the vehicle 102 is provided as a score or other qualitymetric, and/or may be determined based on historical quality-of-drivingdata for the driver 126 and/or the vehicle 102, such as, for example,based on a relationship of the determined at least one indication of thequality of the driving to the historical quality-of-driving data. Such arelationship may be a weighting of the at least one indication of thequality of the driving against the historical quality-of-driving data,such as a weighting that accounts for the amount of historicalquality-of-driving data already available to the insurance provider, ormay be any other suitable relationship. In general, any suitable mannerof determining an insurance rating and/or premium adjustment may beimplemented.

As will be apparent from the above description, and as should beappreciated with respect to all examples presented in this disclosure,various ones of the functions or operations shown in FIG. 3 areoptional. Furthermore, the functions or operations shown in FIG. 3 (andeach flow chart herein) may be performed in any suitable order, anydesired number of times, and/or with any suitable variation to theparticular order and/or combination shown so as to achieve a desiredresult, such as a desired manner of determining a quality of driving ofa vehicle (e.g., the vehicle 102).

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of another example method, routine, or process400 for determining a quality of driving of a vehicle, such as thevehicle 102. It will be appreciated from the teaching and disclosurebelow that various aspects of the example method, routine, or process400 may be illustrative of greater detail of example implementations ofaspects of the example method, routine, or process 300 (e.g., may beillustrative of greater detail of example implementations of thefunctions described with respect to blocks 308 and 310).

One or more processors, which may be one or more processors of themobile device 130, may determine at least one gradation of the qualityof the driving of the vehicle 102 (block 402). With reference to thediscussion above, the at least one gradation may be determined fordisplay on a map. With further reference to the discussion above, the atleast one gradation may indicate the quality of the driving of thevehicle 102 relative to the quality of the driving of the vehicle 102 asindicated by a different gradation. For example, a map of a driving tripmay designate certain portions of the trip with a red color to show onegradation, with the red color indicating a lowest relative quality ofdriving. The map may also or alternatively designate portions of thetrip with other colors such as yellow (e.g., a medium relative qualityof driving) and/or green (e.g., a highest relative quality of driving).Presentation of gradations on a map, such as a map shown via a userinterface of the mobile device 130 or the computing device 140, isfurther described below. Moreover, gradations other than color may alsoor alternatively be used. For example, different types of markers on amap or other suitable summary of a driving trip may serve as differentgradations indicating different relative qualities of driving of thevehicle 102, different types of lines on a map or other suitable summarymay serve as different gradations (e.g., smoother lines on a map mayindicate higher relative driving quality and more jagged lines on themap may indicate lower relative driving quality), and/or any suitabletypes of gradations may be implemented and provided via, for example, auser interface of the mobile device 130.

The one or more processors may provide, to at least one of the driver126 or the driving instructor 136, at least one of: (i) an ability toreview all of the driving of the vehicle 102 during a particular trip,or (ii) an ability to select one or more segments of a particular tripwith respect to which to review the driving of the vehicle 102 (block404).

The one or more processors may provide an ability to review, atdifferent times during at least one of all of the driving of the vehicle102 (e.g., all of the driving of the vehicle 102 during a particulartrip) or the one or more selected segments (e.g., as selected asdescribed with respect to block 404), the at least one driving metricand/or at least a portion of the information indicating the at least onedriving condition (block 406). Thus, for example, as discussed above,the driver 126 and/or the driving instructor 136 may be provided withthe ability to review speed and speed limit of the vehicle 102 alongparticular points of the trip by selecting an option to play back thespeed and speed limit in a manner that shows how each of the speed andspeed limit changes during the trip. Review of one or more segments maybe implemented by selection of the one or more segments on a map, asalso discussed above. It will be understood that performance of at leastsome of the actions described with respect to block 406 may constituteperformance of at least some of the actions described with respect toblock 404, with the discussion of the at least some actions describedwith respect to block 406 being a more detailed discussion of the atleast some actions described with respect to block 404. Moreover, reviewof an entire trip and/or one or more segments of a trip, including byuse of a map and/or including review of metrics such as a speed of thevehicle 102 and a speed limit, is further described below with respectto, for example, FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 .

It will further be appreciated in light of the teaching and disclosureherein that, in some embodiments, performance of the actions describedwith respect to block 402 may constitute performance of at least some ofthe actions described with respect to block 308 as discussed above withrespect to FIG. 3 . Additionally, in some embodiments, performance ofthe actions described with respect to blocks 404 and 406 may constituteperformance of at least some of the actions described with respect to310 as discussed above with respect to FIG. 3 .

V. Example Further Aspects of Method for Determining A Quality ofDriving of a Vehicle

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an example method, routine, or process 500 fordetermining a quality of driving of a vehicle, such as the vehicle 102.It will be appreciated from the teaching and disclosure herein that theexample method, routine, or process 500 may include further aspects of amethod, routine, or process as described above for determining a qualityof driving of a vehicle, such as further aspects of the example method,routine, or process 300 and/or further aspects of the example method,routine, or process 400.

One or more processors, which may be one or more processors of themobile device 130, may receive, from the at least one driving conditioninformation indicating device (e.g., from at least one of the servers106-122 via the computer network 104), the information indicating the atleast one driving condition (block 502). For example, the receivedinformation may be or may include information indicating at least oneof: (i) whether another vehicle is in front of the vehicle 102 duringthe driving of the vehicle 102, (ii) a distance between the vehicle 102and at least one other vehicle during the driving of the vehicle 102,(iii) an amount of traffic on a road on which the driving of the vehicle102 occurs, (iv) a speed of another vehicle during the driving of thevehicle 102, (v) a type of road on which the driving of the vehicle 102occurs, (vi) a speed limit on a road on which the driving of the vehicle102 occurs, (vii) a restriction associated with a speed limit on a roadon which the driving of the vehicle 102 occurs, (viii) a weathercondition associated with a road on which the driving of the vehicle 102occurs, (ix) visibility associated with a road on which the driving ofthe vehicle 102 occurs, (x) a traffic prompt associated with a road onwhich the driving of the vehicle 102 occurs, or (xi) a capability of thedriver 126. Other suitable information may also or alternatively bereceived.

With reference to particular examples of the received information, theinformation indicating whether another vehicle is in front of thevehicle 102 during the driving of the vehicle 102 may be determined by,for example, an application executing on the mobile device 130 (e.g.,executed by the one or more processors of the mobile device 130) usinginformation detected or otherwise received via the camera 134 of themobile device 130. Thus, in this example, the mobile device 130 may beconsidered to be one of the at least one driving condition informationindicating device. A distance between the vehicle 102 and at least oneother vehicle during the driving of the vehicle 102 may be determined ina similar manner, in some embodiments, where an application executing onthe mobile device 130 may perform, for example, suitable calculations orother determinations based on an image or images received by the camera134 to determine the distance. The distance may be determined as a“following distance,” which may be determined in terms of length, time(e.g., an amount of time during which, if the driver 126 applies brakesof the vehicle 102, the vehicle 102 has to come to a stop withoutcolliding with the other vehicle in front of the vehicle 102), etc.

In one example, an application may be provided by a third party, such asa third-party vendor of the insurance provider, and may execute on themobile device 130 to determine, for example, a distance between thevehicle 102 and at least one other vehicle (e.g., a following distancebetween the vehicle 102 and another vehicle in front of the vehicle102). One example of such an application is the iOnRoad™ application.

The amount of traffic on a road on which the driving of the vehicle 102occurs may be determined in any one or more of a number of suitableways. More particularly, for example, an indication of the amount oftraffic may be determined by information received via the camera 134 ofthe mobile device 130. In some embodiments, information received via thecamera 134 may be used to determine or estimate a speed of anothervehicle in front of the vehicle 102, and this estimate of the speed ofthe other vehicle may be used to estimate the amount of traffic.Additionally or alternatively, such as in embodiments where the mobiledevice 130 is not secured in the dashboard mount 132 and is instead inthe cup holder, information indicative of an amount of traffic on a roadon which the driving of the vehicle 102 occurs may be determined using,for example, an application that uses, for example, crowdsourced dataindicative of location and/or speed of other vehicles. Additionally,such an application using crowdsourced data indicative of speed of othervehicles may be used to determine information indicating a speed ofanother vehicle(s) during the driving of the vehicle, in one example.Such an application may be, for example, WAZE®. In some embodiments,such crowdsourced data may be obtained by the mobile device 130 from thetraffic information server 106 and/or the other vehicle speedinformation server 108 via the computer network 104.

It will be appreciated that various applications described throughoutthis description may in some cases have some or all of the functionalityin a single application, such as a single application executing on themobile device 130. As just one example, an application that is executedon/by the mobile device 130 may both perform suitable operations todetermine a following distance and may receive and use crowdsourced dataindicative of location and/or speed of other vehicles.

With continued reference to the actions described with respect to block502, a type of road on which the driving of the vehicle 102 occurs maybe determined using, for example, the camera 134, information from theroad type information server 110 that is received by the mobile device130 via the computer network 104 based on GPS information, and/or in anyother suitable manner. As with other devices described herein and shownin the example system 100, the road type information server 110 may be aserver of a third-party entity such as a third-party vendor, or a serverof the insurance provider, for example.

A speed limit on a road on which the driving of the vehicle 102 occursmay be determined using, for example, information from the speed limitinformation server 112. In one embodiment, the speed limit informationserver 112 may receive a speed limit from a suitable source, such asfrom a third-party vendor via a communication network that need not bethe computer network 104, where the speed limit corresponds to alocation of the vehicle 102 as indicated by GPS information. In anotherembodiment, the mobile device 130 may execute an application that mayreceive speed limit information from a third-party vendor that isassociated with, for example, a location of the vehicle 102 as indicatedby GPS information. Such an application may be, for example, HEREDrive®.

A restriction associated with a speed limit on a road on which thedriving of the vehicle 102 occurs may be determined using, for example,information from the speed limit restriction information server 114. Inone embodiment, the speed limit restriction information server 114 mayreceive information regarding a speed limit restriction, such asinformation indicating that a particular region is a school zone, aconstruction zone where the effective speed limit is thus lower than theposted speed limit, etc., from another server(s) (not shown). The otherserver(s) may store, for example, location data indicating school zones,construction data indicating construction zones, and/or any othersuitable data indicating portions of road(s) that have restricted speedlimits lower than posted speed limits on speed limit signs. In someembodiments, a restriction on speed limit may already be taken intoaccount in the speed limit information available from the speed limitinformation server 112, such as in the case of a school zone, and thusneed not be accounted for with information from the speed limitrestriction information server 114. In another embodiment, the mobiledevice 130 may execute an application that may receive speed limitrestriction information from a third-party vendor, where the speed limitrestriction information is associated with, for example, a location ofthe vehicle 102 as indicated by GPS information. Such an application maybe, for example, WAZE®.

With further reference to the actions described with respect to block502, a weather condition and/or a visibility associated with a road onwhich the driving of the vehicle 102 occurs may be determined using, forexample, information from the weather condition information server 116and/or the visibility information server 118. In one embodiment, theweather condition information server 116 and/or the visibilityinformation server 118 may receive information regarding one or moreweather conditions and/or other condition(s) affecting visibility from asuitable source, such as from a third-party vendor via a communicationnetwork that need not be the computer network 104 (but that, as withother examples described herein, may be the computer network 104). Theone or more weather conditions and/or other condition(s) affectingvisibility may correspond to a location of the vehicle 102 as indicatedby, for example, GPS information. In some examples, the receivedinformation may be or may include satellite imagery or information fromsatellite imagery. In situations where a map is provided (e.g., via auser interface), as discussed above and as further described below,features of the satellite imagery corresponding to the area surroundingthe location of the vehicle 102 may be overlaid on the map to providemore readily available access to weather-related or visibility-relatedinformation.

Weather conditions may include, for example, rain, snow, ice, sleet,and/or any other condition that may affect a relationship between aquality of driving of the vehicle 102 and at least one driving metric(e.g., when the vehicle 102 is traveling on a snowy road, given aparticular speed of the vehicle 102 (which speed may be the at least onedriving metric), the quality of driving may be expected to be higher atlower speeds of the vehicle 102). Condition(s) affecting visibility mayinclude weather conditions and non-weather conditions. For example, rainmay be expected to affect visibility in addition to being a weathercondition. However, smoke and/or fire caused by a nearby accident, forexample, may affect visibility but not be a weather condition. Asanother example, lighting conditions (e.g., time of day or otherlighting conditions, such as abundance of street lighting at night) on aroad on which the driving of the vehicle 102 occurs may affectvisibility but not be weather conditions.

A traffic prompt associated with a road on which the driving of thevehicle 102 occurs may be determined using, for example, informationfrom the traffic prompt information server 120. The traffic promptinformation server 120 may, in one embodiment, receive informationregarding traffic prompts (e.g., status of traffic lights, locations ofstop signs, passage of emergency medical vehicles that necessitatestoppage of other traffic, etc.) from a suitable source, such as from athird-party vendor via a communication network that need not be thecomputer network 104. Such information indicating at least one trafficprompt may correspond to a location of the vehicle 102 as indicated by,for example, GPS information.

Information indicating a capability of the driver 126 may be receivedfrom, for example, the driver capability information server 122. Thedriver capability information server 122 may, in one embodiment, receiveinformation from the insurance provider, such as from the insuranceprovider server 144, regarding a capability of the driver 126.Information regarding a capability of the driver 126 may also bereceived from other suitable sources, such as from one or moreadministrative agencies that may have licensed the driver 126 and/or lawenforcement agencies that may have issued one or more traffic citationsto the driver 126. The information regarding the capability of thedriver 126 may include, for example, an age of the driver, which mayimpact an expected night vision ability or depth perception of thedriver 126; other information that may be available (e.g., test resultsfrom an administrative agency) that is indicative of abilities such asnight vision ability, depth perception, and/or any other abilitysuitable for consideration in carrying out the operations describedherein; an accident or claims history of the driver 126; etc.

Generally speaking, and with still further reference to the actionsdescribed with respect to block 502, the information indicating the atleast one driving condition—various examples of which have beendescribed in detail above—may, with reference to the discussion above,affect a relationship between a quality of driving of the vehicle 102and at least one driving metric. By way of example, with respect to theaforementioned information indicating whether another vehicle is infront of the vehicle 102 during the driving of the vehicle 102, suchinformation may affect a relationship between a speed and/oracceleration of the vehicle 102 from a stopped position. Moreparticularly, for example, if the speed of the vehicle 102 increasesslowly as compared to an increase in speed that would be expected for aspeed limit that applies to a road on which the vehicle 102 is beginningto move from a stopped position, the quality of the driving may berelatively low. Additionally, if the speed of the vehicle 102 fluctuatesnotably without any other vehicle present in front of the vehicle 102and without any other factor that would cause such fluctuation, such asentry into and exit from a construction zone, the quality of the drivingmay be relatively low because of poor management of speed (e.g., poorability to maintain a constant speed when conditions do not necessitatefrequent and/or notable changes in speed).

As just one further example, an indication of a time taken by the driver126 to apply braking to the vehicle 102 when a stop is necessitated maybe an indication of a quality of driving of the vehicle 102, and may beaffected by factors noted above, such as the distance between thevehicle 102 and at least one other vehicle during driving. When thedistance between the vehicle 102 and at least one other vehicle becomesshorter while the vehicle 102 maintains a relatively constant speed, forexample, and an abrupt decrease in speed of the vehicle 102 (e.g.,corresponding to a “sharp” breaking event) follows, these events mayindicate a lower quality of driving than a more gradual decrease inspeed of the vehicle 102. Stated another way, these events may indicatea relatively worse reaction time, e.g., that the driver 126 took longerto react to the presence of another vehicle ahead of the vehicle 102during driving. Depending upon how the at least one indication of thequality of the driving of the vehicle 102 is provided, the driver 126may be notified in self-assessment results, for example, of the need toimprove reaction time; the driving instructor 136 may be provided withdata supporting the need of the driver 126 to improve reaction time;and/or the insurance provider may worsen the rating and/or insurancepremium or, in some cases, consider the poor reaction time as a factorin a rating and/or premium adjustment decision.

It will be appreciated that the numerous possible types of informationindicating the at least one driving condition affect numerous possiblerelationships between a quality of driving of the vehicle 102 and atleast one driving metric, and that describing all such ways in whichinformation indicating the at least one driving condition may affectrelationships between a quality of driving and at least one drivingmetric would be impractical if not impossible.

With continued reference to the example method, routine, or process 500,the one or more processors may receive the information indicating the atleast one driving metric by receiving information indicating at leastone of: (i) a speed of the driving of the vehicle 102, (ii) a distancebetween the vehicle 102 and another vehicle in front of the vehicle 102during the driving of the vehicle 102, or (iii) a degree of brakingapplied by the driver 126 during the driving of the vehicle 102 (block504). The speed of the vehicle 102 may be determined by, for example, anapplication executing on the mobile device 130 using suitable featuresand functionality of the mobile device 130, such as a speedometerapplication executing on the mobile device 130, or in any other suitablemanner.

The distance between the vehicle 102 and another vehicle in front of thevehicle 102 may be determined as described above, for example, and maybe determined as a “following distance” in terms of length, time, etc.Such a following distance may, in some examples, be one or both of theat least one driving condition or the at least one driving metric,because traffic may affect the following distance and the driving of thevehicle 102 may also affect the following distance (e.g., if the driver126 does not slow the vehicle 102 as the vehicle 102 approaches anothervehicle in front of the vehicle 102). Determination of the at least oneindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle 102 may accountfor the following distance as both a driving condition and a drivingmetric by, for example, performance of suitable computations (e.g., byan application executing on the mobile device 130) to cause thefollowing distance to be treated as a driving condition and/or as adriving metric. For example, such computations or other suitabledeterminations may cause the following distance to be treated as adriving condition and/or as a driving metric to appropriate relativedegree(s) based on other information such as, but not limited to, speedof the vehicle 102.

With reference to the discussion above, the degree of braking applied bythe driver 126 during the driving of the vehicle 102 may be determinedby, for example, determining whether a distance between the vehicle 102and at least one other vehicle in front of the vehicle 102 becomesshorter while the vehicle 102 maintains a relatively constant speed,and/or by whether an abrupt decrease in speed of the vehicle 102 occurs.It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, upon the occurrence ofboth of (i) the distance between the vehicle 102 and the at least oneother vehicle shortening while the vehicle 102 maintains a relativeconstant speed and (ii) the speed of the vehicle 102 subsequentlydecreasing abruptly, the degree of braking may be determined to be highwith more certainty than if one of these two events occurs, and/or thequality of driving of the vehicle 102 may be more negatively affectedbecause the occurrence of both of these two events may be a strongerindicator of relatively low-quality driving.

The one or more processors may determine the at least one indication ofthe quality of the driving of the vehicle 102, including determininginformation indicating at least one of: (i) whether a speed(s) of thedriving of the vehicle 102 exceeds a speed limit(s) applicable to atleast one portion of the driving of the vehicle 102 (e.g., driving ofthe vehicle 102 on a particular road or a particular portion thereof),(ii) whether a speed(s) of the driving of the vehicle 102 is below aspeed limit(s) applicable to at least one portion of the driving of thevehicle 102 by at least a threshold amount(s) (e.g., an amountpredetermined and stored in the insurance provider server 144 and/or themobile device 130, or any suitable amount), (iii) an amount(s) by whicha speed(s) of the driving of the vehicle 102 exceeds, is below, or bothexceeds and is below (e.g., during different portions of the driving) aspeed limit(s) applicable to at least one portion of the driving of thevehicle 102, (iv) an amount(s) of time during which a speed(s) of thedriving of the vehicle 102 exceeds, is below, or both exceeds and isbelow a speed limit(s) applicable to at least one portion of the drivingof the vehicle 102, or (v) a variation in a speed(s) of the driving ofthe vehicle 102 within a particular amount(s) of time (block 506).

More particularly, in one example, the one or more processors maydetermine information indicating the at least one of the aforementionedindications of quality, and/or any other suitable indication of quality,by determining how much time and at what locations the vehicle 102 wasdriving at an acceptable speed, how much time and at what locations thevehicle 102 was driving 0-5 miles per hour above the speed limit, howmuch time and at what locations the vehicle 102 was driving 5-10 milesper hour above the speed limit, etc. The aforementioned gradations ofthe quality of the driving of the vehicle 102 may, in one example, beimplemented by showing, on a map, lower relative quality gradations asbeing associated with locations in which the vehicle 102 exceeded thespeed limit by a higher amount, for example. For example, such locationson the map associated with lower relative quality gradations may havecolors indicating such lower relative quality, which may in someexamples be shades of red and orange, whereas colors indicating higherrelative quality may in some examples be shades of green and blue.

As another example, significant variations in speed of driving of thevehicle 102 without any reason indicated by other factors such astraffic, traffic prompts, etc. may result in a lower indication of thequality of the driving of the vehicle 102, and in some cases may resultin a lower indication of the quality of the driving even when suchvariations occur largely or entirely under the applicable speedlimit(s). A variation or variations in speed of driving of the vehicle102 may, in one embodiment, be determined as a percentage variation(s)for use in determining the at least one indication of the quality of thedriving of the vehicle 102. It will be appreciated that the variousexample indications of the quality of the driving of the vehicle 102described above, and/or any other suitable indications, may bedetermined in a number of ways based on a number of suitable drivingconditions and driving metrics, and that describing every possible waywould be impractical if not impossible. As such, it will be understoodthat the discussion herein is by way of example only.

As just one further example, with continued reference to the actionsdescribed with respect to block 506, it is also noted that thedetermination of the at least one indication of the quality of thedriving of the vehicle 102 may be affected by a following distancebetween the vehicle 102 and another vehicle in front of the vehicle 102.For example, when the following distance is less than a threshold amountas measured in time, such as less than two and a half seconds or anyother suitable amount of time, and is less than the threshold amount fora relatively long period of time, the at least one driving metric may beanalyzed differently in order to determine the at least one indicationof the quality of the driving of the vehicle 102, because it may beassumed that the vehicle 102 is in relatively high traffic. Conversely,for example, when the following distance is more than the thresholdamount as measured in time, such as more than two and a half seconds fora relatively long period of time, the at least one driving metric may beanalyzed based on an assumption that the vehicle 102 is in relativelylow traffic in order to determine the at least one indication of thequality of the driving of the vehicle 102.

The one or more processors may determine whether the at least oneindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle 102 is to beprovided for an entire driving trip or for one or more segments of theentire driving trip, where the entire driving trip may be divided upinto multiple segments as noted above (block 508). In this regard, it isnoted that division of the trip into segments may not be known until theat least one indication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle 102is determined, and portions of the trip with similar quality of drivingand similar location (e.g., stretches of a road on which the vehicle 102travels or traveled that have a similar determined indication of thequality of the driving) are grouped into segments, in some examples.

If it is determined that the at least one indication of the quality ofthe driving of the vehicle 102 is to be provided for the entire trip,the one or more processors may provide a quality metric(s) for thedriving of the vehicle 102 during the entire trip (block 510). In someembodiments, a quality metric(s) for the driving of the vehicle 102during an entire trip or during a segment of the trip may be determinedby calculating or otherwise determining one or more scores or othermetrics based on the at least one indication of the quality of thedriving. For example, the score (or scores) may be a score in the rangeof 0-100, where 0 is the lowest possible score and 100 is the highestpossible score, though any suitable scoring system and/or othertechnique(s) for determining and providing a quality metric(s) may beimplemented. Such a score(s) is further discussed below with respect to,for example, FIG. 8 .

The one or more processors may also or alternatively provide at leastone gradation (e.g., one gradation with respect to exceeding of a speedlimit(s) and/or one gradation with respect to a variation(s) in speed,etc.) of the quality of the driving of the vehicle 102 for all of thedriving of the vehicle 102 during the trip (block 512). In oneembodiment, the at least one gradation may correspond to a score orscores calculated or determined as described with respect to block 510,or the score that would have been calculated or determined in the eventthat the actions described with respect to block 510 are not performedand the actions described with respect to block 512 are performed.

If, on the other hand, it is determined with respect to block 508 thatthe at least one indication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle102 is to be provided for one or more segments of the entire drivingtrip, the one or more processors may provide a quality metric(s) for thedriving of the vehicle 102 during at least one segment (e.g., duringeach of the one or more segments for which the at least one indicationof the quality of the driving is to be provided) (block 514). The atleast one quality metric provided as described with respect to block 514may be determined in the same or a similar manner as described withrespect to block 510.

The one or more processors may also or alternatively provide at leastone gradation of the quality of the driving of the vehicle 102 during atleast one segment (block 516). In one embodiment, the at least onegradation may correspond to a score or scores calculated or otherwisedetermined in performing the actions described with respect to block514, or that would have been calculated or otherwise determined inperforming the actions described with respect to block 514 when theactions described with respect to block 514 are not performed.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of an example method, routine, or process 600 fordetermining a quality of driving of a vehicle, such as the vehicle 102.It will be appreciated from the teaching and disclosure herein that theexample method, routine, or process 600 may include further aspects of amethod, routine, or process as described above for determining a qualityof driving of a vehicle, such as further aspects of the example method,routine, or process 300 and/or further aspects of the example method,routine, or process 400.

One or more processors, which may be one or more processors of themobile device 130, may receive, from the at least one driving conditioninformation indicating device, information indicating at least onedriving condition, as described above with respect to block 304 afterperforming the determination described above with respect to block 302.The one or more processors may also receive the information indicatingthe at least one driving metric as described above with respect to block306. As shown in the example of FIG. 6 , the one or more processors maythen receive at least one of an adjustment from at least one of thedriver 126 or the driving instructor 136 to the information indicatingthe at least one driving condition or an adjustment from at least one ofthe driver 126 or the driving instructor 136 to the informationindicating the at least one driving metric (block 602). For example, thedriver 126 or the driving instructor 136 may manually input a suitableentry to the mobile device 130 via, for example, a touch screen or othercomponent of a user interface to indicate, for example, entry into aschool zone, a construction zone, poor weather, a traffic light outage,a desired speed lower than that posted as the speed limit or lower thanthat posted as a restriction on the speed limit, and/or any othersuitable adjustment(s). In some cases, the adjustment(s) may already bereflected in the information indicating the at least one drivingcondition—for example, such information may already indicate theexistence of a school zone or construction zone as discussed above—butthe user may nonetheless make such an adjustment to ensure the accuracyof the information indicating the at least one driving condition, and/orfor greater comfort of the user in knowing such information is accurate,etc. The mobile device 130 may execute an application (such as theapplication(s) discussed above) that may allow the user to specify whenthe adjustment no longer applies, how long the adjustment applies and/orwhether the adjustment is permanent, and/or otherwise control theadjustment to reflect user preferences.

With continued reference to the actions described with respect to block602, the driver 126 and/or the driving instructor 136 may also adjustthe information indicating the at least one driving metric as discussedabove. By way of example, the driver 126 may input an adjustment into,for example, the mobile device 130 to adjust information indicating adegree of braking if, for example, the vehicle 102 is braking in snow.As with adjustments to information indicating the at least one drivingcondition, this adjustment may already be accounted for by the receiptof information indicating snow on a road on which the vehicle 102 isdriving. As another example, the driving instructor 136 may input anadjustment into the computing device 140, for example, to indicate thatthe driving instructor 136 applied braking where, for example, thevehicle 102 is equipped with a brake on the passenger side for drivereducation purposes. Determination of the at least one indication of thequality of the driving of the vehicle 102 may be affected accordingly bythe resulting indication that the driving instructor 136 applied brakingas a result of, for example, a failure of the driver 126 (e.g., studentdriver) to apply braking soon enough. In some examples, the drivinginstructor 136 may input such an adjustment into the computing device140 by, for example, placing a pin on a map of the trip displayed on thecomputing device 140 at a location where the driving instructor 136applied braking, for example. The pin may then be used in determiningthe at least one indication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle102. Placement of pins on a map, such as a map that may be displayed onthe computing device 140 and/or on the mobile device 130 during and/orafter driving of the vehicle 102 as described above, is furtherdiscussed below.

The one or more processors may also determine the at least oneindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle 102 based on theinformation indicating the at least one driving condition and theinformation indicating the at least one driving metric, as describedabove with respect to block 308. The one or more processors mayadditionally provide the at least one indication of the quality of thedriving of the vehicle 102 as discussed above with respect to block 310.

The one or more processors may also provide at least one of: (i) atleast one indication of the at least one driving condition via a userinterface of a mobile device (e.g., the mobile device 130), (ii) atleast one indication of the at least one driving metric via the userinterface of the mobile device (e.g., the mobile device 130), or (iii)the at least one indication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle102 via the user interface of the mobile device (e.g., the mobile device130) (block 604). In various embodiments, the mobile device(s) havingthe user interface may also or alternatively be the computing device 140and/or the wearable computing device 142. At least some of theinformation provided as described with respect to block 604 may beprovided on a screen that also displays a map or other suitable summaryof a driving trip, as further described below.

In some embodiments, the user interface may be a user interface of thecomputing device 140 and/or the wearable computing device 142, with themobile device 130 being secured in the dashboard mount 132 (as shown inthe example of FIG. 1 ) or placed in, for example, a cup holder (as alsoshown in the example of FIG. 1 for completeness of illustration) toallow, for example, proper functioning of the accelerometer of themobile device 130. In such embodiments, the user interface may provideoutput to the driving instructor 136 that, if desired, is not accessibleto the driver 126 (e.g., student driver). That is, the output may beaccessible only to (e.g., viewable only by, able to be sensed only by,or otherwise able to be detected only by) the driving instructor 136and, in some cases, the insurance provider and/or another desired thirdparty, but not the driver 126. For example, the output may be visualoutput via the user interface of the computing device 140 and/or thewearable computing device 142 that cannot be seen by the driver 126, theoutput may be tactile or sensory output of the wearable computing device142 that cannot be felt and/or interpreted by the driver 126, etc. Thus,in implementing the actions described with respect to block 604, theaforementioned at least one indication(s) may be provided to the drivinginstructor 136 during the driving of the vehicle 102 so as to allow theindicated information to be withheld from the driver 126. Such animplementation may be desirable, for example, in order to allow thedriving instructor 136 to determine when to warn the driver 126 that thedriver 126 needs to correct or prepare to correct an aspect of thedriving, in order to allow the driving instructor 136 to ask the driver126 to evaluate his or her driving without knowledge of theaforementioned information, etc.

VI. Example Presentation of Features Corresponding to Driving of aVehicle

FIG. 7 illustrates an example map 700 that may be used to presentfeatures described herein, such as the at least one indication of thequality of the driving of the vehicle 102, to parties such as the driver126 and/or the driving instructor 136. The example map 700 may be usedin conjunction with and/or as part of the example user interfacedescribed below with respect to FIG. 8 . As shown in FIG. 7 , theexample map 700 may show first, second, third, fourth, and fifthsections 702, 704, 706, 708, and 710 of side roads. The example map 700may also show a state route 712 with a first ramp 714 and a second ramp716 connecting the state route 712 to an interstate 718. The vehicle 102may, in one example trip, drive on the roads of the example map 700 withhatched lines. The example map 700 is one way in which the driver 126,the driving instructor 136, and/or the insurance provider may review thedriving of the vehicle 102 during the driving (e.g., in the case of thedriving instructor 136 or the insurance provider) and/or after thedriving. With reference to the discussion above, in some cases,gradations may be determined for display on the example map 700 in orderto provide indications of relatively high and/or relatively low qualitydriving of the vehicle 102. Such gradations may be determined andupdated during the driving of the vehicle 102, or at the end of thedriving of the vehicle 102, such as in response to a prompt or entryfrom the driver 126 or driving instructor 136 (e.g., via a userinterface) that a particular driving trip is completed.

As also discussed above, the gradations may be in the form of colorcoding, different types of markers, different types of lines, etc. Inthe example map 700, the first section 702 of side road is shown with astraight boundary 720 on one side, which may be a gradation thatindicates a relatively high quality of driving of the vehicle 102. Thethird section 706 of side road is shown with a jagged boundary 722 onone side, which may be a gradation that indicates a relatively lowquality of driving of the vehicle 102. The fifth section 710 of sideroad is shown with a curved boundary 724 on one side, which may be agradation that indicates a relatively medium quality of driving of thevehicle 102. It will be understood that the boundaries 720, 722, and 724are by way of example and for illustrative purposes only, and thatsuitable markers, lines, etc. may appear on both sides of a road on theexample map 700, on the surface of a road on the example map 700, or inany other suitable manner. Other possible example types of gradationsinclude numerical indications, displayed on the example map 700 on oneor more roads traveled by the vehicle 102, of how much the vehicle 102exceeded the speed limit on a road, a range of how much the vehicle 102exceeded the speed limit on a road, indicating (e.g., with words, color,or any other suitable indication) whether the vehicle 102 exceeded thespeed limit or not, etc. It will be understood from the teaching anddisclosure herein that gradations for indications of the quality of thedriving of the vehicle 102 other than indications related to applicablespeed limits may also be used. It will also be understood that thehatched lines shown in FIG. 7 may be for explanatory purposes only—thatis, to explain herein the roads on which the vehicle 102 travels—and maynot actually be present on the map 700 during carrying out of thevarious actions described herein, as the map 700 may sufficientlyindicate such roads by way of, for example, the gradations discussedherein.

With reference to the discussion above, the example map 700 may includeone or more segments corresponding to the trip. Segmentation of the map700, and thus locations of the individual segments, may be determinedduring (or after) driving of the vehicle 102 as (or after)determinations of quality of the driving of the vehicle 102 are made. Inthe example of FIG. 7 , a first segment of the trip may be demarcated bysegment boundaries 726 and 728. A second segment of the trip may bedemarcated by the segment boundary 728 and a segment boundary 730. Athird segment of the trip may be demarcated by the segment boundary 730and a segment boundary 732. A fourth segment of the trip, which may endwith entry of the vehicle 102 onto the state route 712, may bedemarcated by the segment boundary 732 and a segment boundary 734. Afifth segment of the trip, which may end with entry of the vehicle 102onto the interstate 718 by way of the first ramp 714, may be demarcatedby the segment boundary 734 and a segment boundary 736. A sixth segmentof the trip may be demarcated by the segment boundary 736 and a segmentboundary 738. The segment boundary 738 is shown on a portion of theinterstate 718 that is at the edge of the map 700, and it will beunderstood that the driving of the vehicle 102 during the trip includingthe aforementioned six segments may continue beyond the six segmentsshown in FIG. 7 . In embodiments where a map does show the end of thetrip, a pin or other suitable indicator may be placed at the locationcorresponding to the end of the trip upon receipt of an indication ofthe location corresponding to the end of the trip (e.g., via a userinterface).

With further reference to the discussion above, pins or other suitableindicators may be placed on the example map 700 to indicate, forexample, presence of restricted speed areas such as school zones;presence of any other areas where the driver 126 and/or drivinginstructor 136, for example, wishes to modify the desired speed withrespect to the applicable speed limit; areas where the drivinginstructor 136 applied braking to the vehicle 102; etc. Two example pinsthat may demarcate, for example, a school zone, multiple instances ofdriving instructor braking 136, or any other suitable occurrence areshown on the example map 700 as a first pin 740 and a second pin 742 onthe state route 712. The placement of such pins may be used by, forexample, an application executing on the mobile device 130 to determinethe at least one indication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle102 based on a modification indicated by such placement. In someexamples, the driver 126 or the driving instructor 136, for example, mayinput information via a user interface indicating the meaning of a pinor pins when such a pin or pins is/are placed, such as informationindicating that a particular pin corresponds to braking applied by thedriving instructor 136. In other examples, one or more pins may beplaced on the example map 700 before the driving of the vehicle 102, orbefore the vehicle 102 reaches the location of the one or more pins, todesignate, for an example, a location at which the driver 126, thedriving instructor 136, and/or the insurance provider desires that thedriving of the vehicle 102 be improved. In such examples, the drivinginstructor 136 may place one or more pins using the mobile device 130,the computing device 140, or the wearable computing device 142, forexample; placement of one or more pins by the driver 126 may beperformed using the mobile device 130, for example; and placement of oneor more pins by the insurance provider may be performed using theinsurance provider server 144, for example. Generally speaking, one ormore pins may be placed on a map or other suitable indicator of a trip,such as the example map 700, for any suitable reason.

The example map 700 may be used to draw attention of the driver 126, thedriving instructor 136, and/or the insurance provider to areas of thetrip, or segments in embodiments where the example map 700 is segmented(e.g., when the driver 126, the driving instructor 136, and/or theinsurance provider selects an option through a user interface to segmentthe trip so that, for example, one or more segments can later beselected for review), that need driver improvement. For example, one ormore segments in which speed varies significantly, speed is in excess ofthe applicable speed limit, etc., may be designated (e.g., by way ofgradations, pins enclosing such segments, other suitable indicationspresented via a user interface such as the example user interfacedescribed below with respect to FIG. 8 , etc.) for review.

As noted above, the entire trip or one or more selected segments (e.g.,selected through a user interface) may be played back via a userinterface for view by the driver 126, the driving instructor 136, and/orthe insurance provider. In one example, such playback may includeshowing an icon representing the vehicle 102 traveling along the routeor the one or more selected segments, with gradation applied, ifdesired, to the portion of the route on which the vehicle 102 ispresently shown (or to the entire route or any suitable portionthereof). Such playback may also or alternatively include showing anactual speed of the vehicle 102, a speed limit applicable to thelocation of the vehicle 102, a score or other quality metric asdiscussed above, a particular portion(s) or segment(s) noted for review(which notation may be done by way of, for example, a gradationindicating relatively low quality of driving), and/or any other suitablefeatures. Various embodiments in which the trip or a segment(s) areplayed back are described in further detail below with respect to FIG. 8.

In some embodiments, as also further described below, one or moresegments may be selected for play back by selecting time segmentsinstead of selecting length/distance-based segments corresponding tosegments shown on a map such as the example map 700. The example map 700may or may not be presented via a user interface in such embodiments.Indeed, as a general matter, the example map 700 need not be accessibleduring the described playback. Instead, in some embodiments, informationsuch as speed, speed limit, score, portion(s) or segment(s) noted forreview, etc. may be shown. In some embodiments, actual video playback ofthe driving of the vehicle 102 (e.g., by use of the camera 134) may alsoor alternatively be shown.

VII. Example User Interface Corresponding to Driving of a Vehicle

FIG. 8 illustrates an example user interface 800 corresponding todriving of a vehicle, such as the vehicle 102. With reference to thediscussion above, and as further described below, in some embodiments, amap such as the example map 700 may be used in conjunction with and/oras part of the example user interface 800. The example user interface800 may be presented using the mobile device 130, the computing device140, and/or the wearable computing device 142, for example, dependingupon the desired implementation and/or to which parties (e.g., thedriver 126, the driving instructor 136, and/or the insurance provider)are to receive the information made available via the example userinterface 800.

The example user interface 800 may include a display region 802, adriving condition information region 804, a driving metric informationregion 806, a quality of driving information region 808, a menu region810, a playback progress bar 812, and a playback adjuster 814. Thedisplay region 802 may display, in some examples, a map such as theexample map 700. The example map 700 may be displayed before, during,and/or after the drive, and with reference to the discussion above maybe updated during and/or after the drive. For example, gradations may beupdated during and/or after the drive, segmentation may be updatedduring and/or after the drive, portions and/or segments of the trip maybe identified for review by the driver 126, the driving instructor 136,and/or the insurance company after the drive, etc. Portions or segmentsof the example map 700, or the entire trip, may be played back inresponse to a suitable command, such as a touch input (an optioncorresponding to such a touch input not being shown in FIG. 8 ),provided to the display region 802, the menu region 810, etc.

With reference to the discussion above, the playback of a portion(s),segment(s), or entire trip may include showing the at least one drivingcondition in the driving condition information region 804. In theexample of FIG. 8 , the driving condition information region 804 showsthat a speed limit (e.g., for an applicable section of road, which maybe a section of road on which an icon representing the vehicle 102 islocated) is 55 miles per hour. The playback may also include showing theat least one driving metric in the driving metric information region806. In the example of FIG. 8 , the driving metric information region806 shows that a speed of the vehicle 102 (e.g., for the same portion ofroad for which the speed limit is shown) is 52 miles per hour. Otherinformation may also or alternatively be presented in the drivingcondition information region 804 and the driving metric informationregion 806, such as information regarding other driving conditions andother driving metrics discussed herein.

The playback may also include showing the at least one indication of thequality of the driving of the vehicle 102 in the quality of drivinginformation region 808. In the example of FIG. 8 , an overall score forthe trip is shown, such as 87 points out of a maximum of 100. Forexample, driving during previous portions of the trip may have exceededthe speed limit; driving during previous portions of the trip and/or thecurrent portion of the trip may have other issues needing to beaddressed, such as too much variation in speed, poor reaction time,etc.; and/or various other aspects of the driving of the vehicle 102 maycause the score to be 87 points.

Additionally, as noted above, other quality metrics for the driving ofthe vehicle 102 may also or alternatively be used, and may also oralternatively be displayed in the quality of driving information region808, such as, for example, a metric(s) indicative of how much thevehicle 102 unnecessarily varied in speed/deviated from posted speedlimits, a metric(s) indicative of reaction time, etc. Moreover,gradations of the quality of the driving, whether presented in thedisplay region 802 or not, may also or alternatively be displayed orindicated in the quality of driving information region 808. For example,the quality of driving information region 808 may display the word “RED”to indicate that a gradation of the quality of driving is red (e.g.,relatively poor) for the current portion or segment of the trip. In someembodiments, selection of information to be displayed in the quality ofdriving information region 808 may be performed by selection via asuitable menu (not shown in FIG. 8 ), within which selections may bemade by, for example, touch input. The menu may include, for example,one or more icons in the quality of driving information region 808, themenu region 810, the display region 802, etc. It will be appreciatedfrom the teaching and disclosure herein that the information in theregions 804, 806, and 808, among other regions, may be updated duringplayback, such as to indicate changing speed, changing speed limit,changing score, etc.

It will also be appreciated that in the illustrated example, the scoreof 87 points may be a cumulative score for the trip, though in otherexamples, the score may reflect current driving (e.g., an instantaneousor essentially instantaneous score based on current information, a scorebased on a current segment, etc.) and not previous driving during thetrip. In embodiments where the score (or another quality metric) iscumulative, the score or quality metric may be based on any suitableweighing or accounting of a driving condition(s), driving metric(s),etc., such as, for example, amounts of time spent in particular rangesabove a speed limit, types of roads on which speeding occurred, etc.Other considerations may also be accounted for, such as an insuranceclaim history of the driver 126, where if desired, a relatively highernumber of claims may cause relatively poor driving to more quickly havea negative impact on the score or other quality metric.

In some embodiments, the playback, whether by way of displaying theexample map 700 (e.g., with an icon representing the vehicle 102 movingalong the route driven), displaying actual video of the driving of thevehicle 102 (e.g., as captured by the camera 134 as discussed above), orpresenting any other suitable content in the display region 802, mayhave its progress indicated by the position of the playback adjuster 814on the playback progress bar 812, with the left edge of the playbackprogress bar 812 corresponding to the beginning of the associatedplayback and the right edge of the playback progress bar 812corresponding to the end of the associated playback. Moreover, theposition of the playback adjuster 814—and thus the part of the trip,portion of the trip, or segment being played back—may itself be adjustedby a suitable user input, such as a touch input to drag or otherwisemove the position of the playback adjuster 814 across the playbackprogress bar 812 in either direction.

The menu region 810 may include any suitable information forpresentation to, for example, the driver 126, the driving instructor136, and/or the insurance provider; any suitable selectable option(s);and/or any other suitable content to allow access to informationavailable through the example user interface 800 and to allow navigationthrough the example user interface 800. In the example of FIG. 8 , themenu region 810 includes a list of segment numbers; namely, segments1-5. These segment numbers may correspond to, for example, the firstfive segments identified on a corresponding map, such as the example map700. In another embodiment, times of the driving trip—where a time ofzero hours, zero minutes, and zero seconds may, for example, correspondto the start of the driving trip—that correspond to the start ofdifferent segments may also or alternatively be displayed in the menuregion 810 for selection (not shown in FIG. 8 ). In general, segments ofthe trip may be identified in any suitable manner for selection. Instill another embodiment, and with reference to the discussion above,segments (or the entire trip) identified as desirable or necessary forreview may also or alternatively be identified (in the case of segments,by segment number, by elapsed trip time, etc.) in the menu region 810. Atrip or segment(s) may also be identified for review in the displayregion 802.

It will be appreciated from the teaching and disclosure herein that byproviding the described embodiments of a system and method that allowdetermining a quality of driving of a vehicle, various advantages areachieved. Among other advantages, for example, the at least one drivingcondition information indicating device provides informationparticularly suited for use in concert/in conjunction with otherfeatures of the system and method to determine at least one indicationof the quality of the driving of the vehicle. Additionally, the at leastone indication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle may beadvantageously provided in any of a number of suitable ways in greaterdetail and/or in a more usable form as compared to conventional methods.As just one example, a speed-related indication of the quality of thedriving may be provided to a driving instructor without the need for thedriving instructor to, for example, look at the speedometer of thevehicle. More generally, as noted above, the inclusion of at least thereceipt of information indicating the at least one driving conditionfrom the at least one driving condition information indicating deviceimproves the nature of determining a quality of driving of a vehicle.Other advantages will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the artin light of the teaching and disclosure herein.

VIII. Additional Considerations

The following additional considerations apply to the foregoingdiscussion. Throughout this specification, plural instances mayimplement functions, components, operations, or structures described asa single instance. As noted above, although individual functions andinstructions of one or more methods are illustrated and described asseparate operations, one or more of the individual operations may beperformed concurrently, and nothing requires that the operations beperformed in the order illustrated. Structures and functionalitypresented as separate components in example configurations may beimplemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structuresand functionality presented as a single component may be implemented asseparate components. These and other variations, modifications,additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matterherein.

The methods described in this application may include one or morefunctions or routines in the form of non-transitory computer-executableinstructions that are stored in a tangible computer-readable storagemedium and executed using a processor of a computing device (e.g., themobile device 130, the computing device 140, the wearable computingdevice 142, and/or any other computing devices within the example system100 in any suitable combination). The routines may be included as partof any of the modules described in relation to FIG. 1 or as part of amodule that is external to the system illustrated by FIG. 1 . Forexample, the methods or portions thereof may be part of a browserapplication(s) or an application(s) running on any of the devices in theexample system 100 as a plug-in or other module of the browserapplication. Further, the methods may be employed as“software-as-a-service” to provide, for example, the mobile device 130,the computing device 140, the wearable computing device 142, and/or anyother computing devices with access to the example system 100.

Additionally, certain aspects are described herein as including logic ora number of functions, components, modules, blocks, or mechanisms.Functions may constitute either software modules (e.g., non-transitorycode stored on a tangible machine-readable storage medium) or hardwaremodules. A hardware module is a tangible unit capable of performingcertain operations and may be configured or arranged in a certainmanner. In example embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., astandalone, client or server computer system) or one or more hardwaremodules of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a group ofprocessors) may be configured by software (e.g., an application orapplication portion) as a hardware module that operates to performcertain operations as described herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module maycomprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured(e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field programmable gatearray (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) toperform certain functions). A hardware module may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that istemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term hardware should be understood to encompass atangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed,permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured(e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or to perform certainoperations described herein. Considering embodiments in which hardwaremodules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of thehardware modules need not be configured or instantiated at any oneinstance in time. For example, where the hardware modules comprise ageneral-purpose processor configured using software, the general-purposeprocessor may be configured as respective different hardware modules atdifferent times. Software may accordingly configure a processor, forexample, to constitute a particular hardware module at one instance oftime and to constitute a different hardware module at a differentinstance of time.

Hardware and software modules may provide information to, and receiveinformation from, other hardware and/or software modules. Accordingly,the described hardware modules may be regarded as being communicativelycoupled. Where multiple of such hardware or software modules existcontemporaneously, communications may be achieved through signaltransmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) that connectthe hardware or software modules. In embodiments in which multiplehardware modules or software are configured or instantiated at differenttimes, communications between such hardware or software modules may beachieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of informationin memory structures to which the multiple hardware or software moduleshave access. For example, one hardware or software module may perform anoperation and store the output of that operation in a memory device towhich it is communicatively coupled. A further hardware or softwaremodule may then, at a later time, access the memory device to retrieveand process the stored output. Hardware and software modules may alsoinitiate communications with input or output devices, and may operate ona resource (e.g., a collection of information).

The various operations of example functions and methods described hereinmay be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods or functions described herein may be at leastpartially processor-implemented. For example, at least some of thefunctions of a method may be performed by one or processors orprocessor-implemented hardware modules. The performance of certain ofthe functions may be distributed among the one or more processors, notonly residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number ofmachines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors maybe located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, anoffice environment or as a server farm), while in other embodiments theprocessors may be distributed across a number of locations.

The one or more processors may also operate to support performance ofthe relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a“software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of thefunctions may be performed by a group of computers (as examples ofmachines including processors), these operations being accessible via anetwork (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces(e.g., application program interfaces (APIs)).

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe one or more processors, not only residing within a single machine,but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments,the one or more processors or processor-implemented modules may belocated in a single geographic location (e.g., within a homeenvironment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other exampleembodiments, the one or more processors or processor-implemented modulesmay be distributed across a number of geographic locations.

Still further, the figures depict preferred embodiments of an examplesystem 100 and methods for purposes of illustration only. One ofordinary skill in the art will readily recognize from the followingdiscussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methodsillustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principlesdescribed herein.

Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciatestill additional alternative structural and functional designs for asystem and method for determining a quality of driving of a vehicle.Thus, while particular embodiments and applications have beenillustrated and described, it is to be understood that the disclosedembodiments are not limited to the precise construction and componentsdisclosed herein. Various modifications, changes and variations, whichwill be apparent to those skilled in the art, may be made in thearrangement, operation and details of the method and apparatus disclosedherein without departing from the spirit and scope defined in theappended claims.

To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this documentconflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a documentincorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to thatterm in this document shall govern. Although the text sets forth adetailed description of numerous different embodiments, it should beunderstood that the legal scope of the description is defined by thewords of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detaileddescription is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describeevery possible embodiment since describing every possible embodimentwould be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternativeembodiments could be implemented, using either current technology ortechnology developed after the filing date of this patent, which wouldstill fall within the scope of the claims. While particular embodimentsof the present invention have been illustrated and described, it wouldbe obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes andmodifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claimsall such changes and modifications that are within the scope of thisinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for determining aquality of driving of a vehicle, the method comprising: receiving, usingone or more processors by a computer network, information indicating adriving metric associated with a driving of the vehicle, andcrowdsourced data indicative of the driving metric associated with aplurality of vehicles proximate to the vehicle; receiving, using the oneor more processors, information indicating a driving condition from adriving condition information indicating device; determining, using theone or more processors, an indication of the quality of the driving ofthe vehicle based on the information indicating the driving metric, thecrowdsourced data, and the information indicating the driving condition;and providing, within a user interface using the one or more processors,the indication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle to at leastone of the driver, a driving instructor, or an insurance providerproviding insurance coverage with respect to at least one of the vehicleor the driver.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, whereinthe information indicating the driving metric includes a measuredfollowing distance between the vehicle and a forward vehicle, and themethod further comprises: adjusting, using the one or more processors, athreshold following distance between the vehicle and the forward vehiclebased on a current traffic density, wherein the threshold followingdistance is included in the information indicating the drivingcondition.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein theinformation indicating the driving condition includes a current trafficdensity indicative of a location or a speed of the plurality of vehiclesproximate to the vehicle based on crowdsourced data.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving theinformation indicating the driving condition comprises determining,using the one or more processors via the computer network, informationindicating at least one speed limit on at least one road on which thedriving of the vehicle occurs, and wherein determining the indication ofthe quality of the driving of the vehicle comprises determining, usingthe one or more processors, information indicating at least one of: (i)whether a speed of the driving of the vehicle exceeds a correspondingspeed limit of the at least one speed limit, the corresponding speedlimit of the at least one speed limit being applicable to at least oneportion of the driving of the vehicle, (ii) at least one amount by whichthe speed of the driving of the vehicle exceeds the corresponding speedlimit of the at least one speed limit, or (iii) at least one amount oftime during which the speed of the driving of the vehicle exceeds thecorresponding speed limit of the at least one speed limit.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein: providing theindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle comprisesproviding, using the one or more processors, to at least one of thedriver or the driving instructor, at least one of: (i) an ability toreview all of the driving of the vehicle, or (ii) an ability to selectone or more segments of a particular trip with respect to which toreview the driving of the vehicle; and the ability to review all of thedriving of the vehicle or the ability to select the one or more segmentsof the particular trip with respect to which to review the driving ofthe vehicle comprises providing, using the one or more processors, anability to review, at different times during at least one of all of thedriving of the vehicle or the one or more selected segments of theparticular trip, at least one of the driving metric or the informationindicating the driving condition.
 6. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, wherein determining the indication of the quality of thedriving of the vehicle comprises determining, using the one or moreprocessors, at least one gradation of the quality of the driving of thevehicle, each one of the at least one gradation of the quality of thedriving of the vehicle indicating the quality of the driving of thevehicle relative to the quality of the driving of the vehicle asindicated by a different gradation of the quality of the driving of thevehicle.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, whereinreceiving the information indicating the driving metric associated withthe driving of the vehicle comprises receiving, using the one or moreprocessors, information indicating at least one of: (i) a speed of thedriving of the vehicle, or (ii) a degree of braking applied by thedriver during the driving of the vehicle.
 8. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein receiving the information indicating thedriving condition comprises receiving, using the one or more processorsvia the computer network, from the driving condition informationindicating device, information indicating at least one of: (i) whetheranother vehicle is in front of the vehicle during the driving of thevehicle, (ii) an amount of traffic on a road on which the driving of thevehicle occurs, (iii) a speed of another vehicle during the driving ofthe vehicle, (iv) a type of road on which the driving of the vehicleoccurs, (v) a speed limit on a road on which the driving of the vehicleoccurs, (vi) a restriction associated with a speed limit on a road onwhich the driving of the vehicle occurs, (vii) a weather conditionassociated with a road on which the driving of the vehicle occurs,(viii) visibility associated with a road on which the driving of thevehicle occurs, (ix) a traffic prompt associated with a road on whichthe driving of the vehicle occurs, or (x) a capability of the driver. 9.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining theindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle comprisesdetermining, using the one or more processors, information indicating atleast one of: (i) whether a speed of the driving of the vehicle exceedsa speed limit applicable to at least one portion of the driving of thevehicle, (ii) whether a speed of the driving of the vehicle is below aspeed limit applicable to at least one portion of the driving of thevehicle by at least a threshold amount, (iii) an amount by which a speedof the driving of the vehicle one of exceeds or is below a speed limitapplicable to at least one portion of the driving of the vehicle, (iv)an amount of time during which a speed of the driving of the vehicle oneof exceeds or is below a speed limit applicable to at least one portionof the driving of the vehicle, or (v) a variation in a speed of thedriving of the vehicle within a particular amount of time.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein providing the indicationof the quality of the driving of the vehicle further comprisesproviding, using the one or more processors, at least one of: (i) atleast one quality metric for all of the driving of the vehicle during aparticular trip, (ii) at least one quality metric for the driving of thevehicle during at least one segment of a plurality of segments of theparticular trip, (iii) at least one gradation of the quality of thedriving of the vehicle for all of the driving of the vehicle during theparticular trip, or (iv) at least one gradation of the quality of thedriving of the vehicle during at least one segment of a plurality ofsegments of the particular trip.
 11. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, wherein the indication of the quality of the driving of thevehicle being provided to the insurance provider allows the insuranceprovider to determine at least one of a rating or a premium adjustmentto apply to the insurance coverage provided by the insurance providerwith respect to the at least one of the vehicle or the driver.
 12. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: providing,using the one or more processors, at least one of: (i) at least oneindication of the driving condition via a user interface of a mobiledevice, the mobile device being present in the vehicle during thedriving of the vehicle, (ii) at least one indication of the drivingmetric via the user interface of the mobile device, or (iii) theindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle via the userinterface of the mobile device; and wherein providing output to thedriving instructor during the driving of the vehicle by the driver sothat the providing of the at least one of the at least one indication ofthe driving condition, the at least one indication of the drivingmetric, or the indication of the quality of the driving of the vehiclevia the user interface of the mobile device comprises providing the atleast one of the at least one indication of the driving condition, theat least one indication of the driving metric, or the indication of thequality of the driving of the vehicle via a user interface to thedriving instructor during the driving of the vehicle by the driver. 13.A computer device for determining a quality of driving of a vehicle, thecomputer device comprising: one or more processors; and one or morememories coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memoriesincluding non-transitory computer executable instructions stored thereinthat, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or moreprocessors to: receive information indicating a driving metricassociated with a driving of the vehicle, and crowdsourced dataindicative of the driving metric associated with a plurality of vehiclesproximate to the vehicle, receive information indicating a drivingcondition from a driving condition information indicating device,determine an indication of the quality of the driving of the vehiclebased on the information indicating the driving metric, the crowdsourceddata, and the information indicating the driving condition, and provide,within a user interface, the indication of the quality of the driving ofthe vehicle to at least one of the driver, a driving instructor, or aninsurance provider providing insurance coverage with respect to at leastone of the vehicle or the driver.
 14. The computer device of claim 13,wherein the non-transitory computer executable instructions, whenexecuted, further cause the one or more processors to determine theindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle by determininginformation indicating at least one of: (i) whether a speed of thedriving of the vehicle exceeds a speed limit applicable to at least oneportion of the driving of the vehicle, (ii) whether a speed of thedriving of the vehicle is below a speed limit applicable to at least oneportion of the driving of the vehicle by at least a threshold amount,(iii) an amount by which a speed of the driving of the vehicle one ofexceeds or is below a speed limit applicable to at least one portion ofthe driving of the vehicle, (iv) an amount of time during which a speedof the driving of the vehicle one of exceeds or is below a speed limitapplicable to at least one portion of the driving of the vehicle, or (v)a variation in a speed of the driving of the vehicle within a particularamount of time.
 15. The computer device of claim 13, wherein theindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle being providedto the insurance provider allows the insurance provider to determine atleast one of a rating or a premium adjustment to apply to the insurancecoverage provided by the insurance provider with respect to the at leastone of the vehicle or the driver.
 16. The computer device of claim 13,wherein the non-transitory computer executable instructions, whenexecuted, further cause the one or more processors to provide theindication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle by providing toat least one of the driver or the driving instructor, at least one of:(i) an ability to review all of the driving of the vehicle, or (ii) anability to select one or more segments of a particular trip with respectto which to review the driving of the vehicle.
 17. A non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium comprising computer readableinstructions stored thereon for determining a quality of driving of avehicle, wherein the instructions when executed on one or moreprocessors cause the one or more processors to: receive informationindicating a driving metric associated with a driving of the vehicle,and crowdsourced data indicative of the driving metric associated with aplurality of vehicles proximate to the vehicle; receive informationindicating a driving condition from a driving condition informationindicating device; determine an indication of the quality of the drivingof the vehicle based on the information indicating the driving metric,the crowdsourced data, and the information indicating the drivingcondition; and provide, within a user interface, the indication of thequality of the driving of the vehicle to at least one of the driver, adriving instructor, or an insurance provider providing insurancecoverage with respect to at least one of the vehicle or the driver. 18.The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, whereinthe non-transitory computer readable instructions, when executed,further cause the one or more processors to provide the indication ofthe quality of the driving of the vehicle by providing, to at least oneof the driver or the driving instructor, at least one of: (i) an abilityto review all of the driving of the vehicle, including an ability toreview at least one of the driving metric or at least a portion of theinformation indicating the driving condition, or (ii) an ability toreview the driving of the vehicle during one or more segments of aparticular trip, including the ability to review the at least one of thedriving metric or the at least the portion of the information indicatingthe driving condition.
 19. The non-transitory computer readable storagemedium of claim 17, wherein the non-transitory computer readableinstructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors todetermine the indication of the quality of the driving of the vehicle bydetermining information indicating at least one of: (i) whether a speedof the driving of the vehicle exceeds a speed limit applicable to atleast one portion of the driving of the vehicle, (ii) whether a speed ofthe driving of the vehicle is below a speed limit applicable to at leastone portion of the driving of the vehicle by at least a thresholdamount, (iii) an amount by which a speed of the driving of the vehicleone of exceeds or is below a speed limit applicable to at least oneportion of the driving of the vehicle, (iv) an amount of time duringwhich a speed of the driving of the vehicle one of exceeds or is below aspeed limit applicable to at least one portion of the driving of thevehicle, or (v) a variation in a speed of the driving of the vehiclewithin a particular amount of time.
 20. The non-transitory computerreadable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the indication of thequality of the driving of the vehicle being provided to the insuranceprovider allows the insurance provider to determine at least one of arating or a premium adjustment to apply to the insurance coverageprovided by the insurance provider with respect to the at least one ofthe vehicle or the driver.